There are a wide variety of head-worn illuminators and magnifiers intended for surgeons, dentists and other professionals. Increasingly, the illuminators are taking advantage of high-intensity light sources which emit in all portions of the spectrum, including blue, violet and ultraviolet. It is known that wavelengths in these parts of the spectrum may be harmful to a clinician's eyes, particularly when used in conjunction with extended procedures requiring intense focus and concentration.
At the same time, there is a different set of issues with surgical magnification systems: Human organs are essentially made up of three colors, namely, blue (veins or nerves), red (blood), and yellow (fat). However, human eyes are the most sensitive at 555 nm (green) and this sensitivity gradually decreases as the wavelength increases or decreases from 555 nm. Human eyes become very insensitive at wavelengths shorter than 400 nm or longer than 700 nm. Many surgeons want brighter light to see details of the surgical site, but more light may not help surgeons to see details and may lead to eye strain, particularly if excessive blue, violet or ultraviolet light is present.